ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation
Akshay Kumar launches ad campaign for Swachh Bharat
Eminent actor, Shri Akshay Kumar, today launched an advertisement campaign for the Swachh Bharat Mission  in the capital. The campaign was launched at a Collectors Convention for Toilet Technology organized in the capital. The campaign focuses on promoting the twin pit toilet technology in rural India, and also features actor, Ms Bhumi Pednekar along with Shri Kumar.
In his welcome address, Shri Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, spoke about the contribution made by Shri Akshay Kumar to the Swachh Bharat Mission. He said that right from his movie, Toilet Ek Prem Katha, which was seen and appreciated by rural and urban people across the country, to his participation in the twin pit toilet advertisement campaign for the Swachh Bharat Mission, Shri Kumar has been a strong supporter of the sanitation movement underway in the country
Shri Akshay Kumar interacted with Swachh Bharat Mission officials, district collectors, communication experts and members from the media on the occasion. During his interaction, he spoke about the need for influencers of society to talk freely about toilets, and empty toilet pits around the country to destigmatize cleaning of one’s own toilet by members of the family itself.
The District Collectors and field officials, during the interaction, spoke about the power of women in leading the sanitation mission in rural areas, and the role played by the movie, “Toilet Ek Prem Katha” in leading this behavior change. It was also announced by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation on this occasion that the producers of Toilet Ek Prem Katha have given rights to all State and District teams of the Swachh Bharat Mission  to screen the movie in villages on a non-commercial basis.
The twin pit toilet technology was invented in India and is the most well-suited toilet technology for rural India, and is recommended by Government of India and the World Health Organization. It is scientifically proven that:
1. A pit in a standard twin-pit toilet model fills up in roughly 5 years for a 6-membered family
2. The waste may then be easily re-directed to the second pit
3. In 6 months to 1 year, the waste in the filled pit decomposes completely
4. This decomposed waste is safe to handle and rich in NPK  nutrients which makes it ideal for use in agriculture
The States are continuously encouraged by the Swachh Bharat Mission  to include awareness generation about the above facts as part of their grassroots information, education and communication  efforts.
The advertisement campaign launched today is an effort, supported by the World Bank, towards encouraging this technology using mass media. The film can be found on the YouTube channel of the Swachh Bharat Mission  . It will be translated in several regional languages, and the Hindi version will start airing on television channels with immediate effect.
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AR/SNC/SD
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Ministry of Home Affairs
The decision to extend the Nation-wide lockdown to fight COVID-19 till 3rd May taken to protect lives of the People: Shri Amit Shah
People of India, under the leadership of PM Modi, have set an example for the whole world in fighting COVID-19: Home Minister
Commendable coordination seen between Centre and States to fight COVID-19: Shri Amit Shah
Salute to frontline healthcare professionals and security personnel fighting COVID-19: Home Minister
Sufficient reserves of food, medicines and other daily essentials in the country, no need for any citizen to panic: Shri Amit Shah
Government of India has decided to extend the nation-wide lockdown to fight COVID-19 till 3rd May.
Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Prime Minister for this decision and said that the decision by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to extend the lockdown, put in place to fight and end COVID-19, till 3rd May, has been taken to protect lives of the people of the country.
Praising the decisions taken by the Government of India to stop the spread of COVID-19, Shri Shah said that today the world is facing a global epidemic and the people of India, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, have set an example for the whole world in fighting the disease. This is evident in all the timely decisions taken by the government and participation of the people in them, he said.
Describing the coordination between the Centre and the States as very important to deal with this epidemic and to meet every need of the citizens, the Home Minister said that the way all the State Governments are working together with the Central Government is truly laudable. This coordination needs to be intensified so that all citizens follow the lockdown properly and no one faces any problem to access things of their everyday needs, he added.
Saluting the frontline healthcare professionals and security personnel fighting COVID-19, Shri Shah said that the contribution of our doctors, health workers, sanitation workers, police and all the security personnel who are playing an important role in this fight is very touching. Their courage and understanding in these tough times inspires every Indian. Everyone should follow the guidelines and cooperate with them, he stated.
In the time of this crisis, assuring the citizens of the country and motivating them to help each other, Shri Shah said, "As the Home Minister of the country, I reassure the public that there are sufficient reserves of food, medicines and other daily essentials in the country, hence there is no need for any citizen to panic. At the same time, I request the well-off people to come forward and help the poor living nearby".
Ministry of Defence
Corporatisation of OFB
The Cabinet Committee on Security in its meeting held on 29.07.2020, has approved to convert Ordnance Factory Board , a subordinate office of Ministry of Defence, into one or more than one 100% Government owned corporate entities, registered under the Companies Act 2013.
The Corporatisation of OFB will improve its autonomy, accountability and efficiency in Ordnance Supplies.
The Government has taken note of the strike by workers of OFB against the proposed corporatisation and their concerns in the notice dated 04.08.2020 from the three recognized Federations of Defence Civilian Employees, proposing to call an indefinite strike w.e.f. 06.00 am of 12.10.2020 by the Defence Civilian Employees of Ordnance Factories against the Government move to corporatize OFB.
An Empowered Group of Ministers  has been constituted under the Chairmanship of Minister of Defence to oversee and guide the entire process of corporatisation of OFB, including transition support and redeployment plan of employees while safeguarding their wages and retirement benefits.
OFB products are priced on a cost based methodology without charging any profit over the cost of production for supply to the armed forces. Since OFB is nominated as a production agency for supply of core items to the armed forces, no comparison with international prices can be made..
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Shripad Naik in a written reply toDr.Santanu Sen in Rajya Sabha today.
ABB/Nampi/KA/DK
(Visitor Counter : 2216
Ministry of Defence
BEL & HAL organise roadshow urging active participation in DefExpo 2020
Defence PSUs Bharat Electronics Limited  and Hindustan Aeronautical Limited  organised a roadshow here today in the run up to the 11th edition of DefExpo scheduled to be held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh from February 5-8, 2020. The roadshow was organised to urge vendors from the private sector, MSMEs and startups based in Delhi-NCR to actively participate in the upcoming Defence exhibition and take advantage of the potential business opportunities in the offing.
The theme of DefExpo 2020 is ‘Digital Transformation of Defence’. The event would provide a common platform for Defence industries, both public and private, MSMEs and startups to showcase their capabilities and R&D strengths to potential customers from both India and abroad.
Joint Secretary , Department of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence Dr Amit Sahai called upon the participants to be a part of DefExpo and widen their exposure and customer base. He emphasised that this is an international platform where many foreign companies participate. He also briefed the vendors about the Government policies in promoting industries and insisted that MSMEs seize this unique opportunity and take full advantage of it.
Joint Secretary SME Smt Alka Arora said the Government is promoting MSME vendors and encouraging MSMEs to share innovative ideas with Defence organisations. DefExpo is an ideal platform for this.
Director , BEL Smt Anandi Ramalingam said, more and more MSME partners must use this opportunity and showcase their products and capabilities.
General Manager  BEL Ghaziabad Shri Joydeep Majumdar made a detailed presentation on DefExpo and elaborated the advantages of participating in the show to the business enterprises.
The roadshow, which ended with an interactive session, was a grand success with participation from more than 170 vendors from across Delhi-NCR.
SS/Nampi/DK/Savvy/MTJ/ADA
(Visitor Counter : 409
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
In 2020-21, about 310 Lakh Metric Ton  of sugar was produced  by Indian sugar mills against domestic consumption of 265 LMT
Till date, contracts of about 40 LMT have been signed for export of sugar in current sugar season 2021-22 and that too without announcement of any export subsidy
The Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ms. Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today informed that since, sugar season 2010-11, there has been surplus production of sugar in the country as against the domestic consumption. In previous sugar season 2020-21, about 310 Lakh Metric Ton  of sugar was produced  by Indian sugar mills against domestic consumption of 265 LMT. Further, against the estimated domestic consumption of 270 LMT in sugar season 2021-22, the sugar production is estimated to be around 308 LMT .
With a view to facilitate export of surplus sugar thereby improving liquidity of sugar mills and enabling them to clear cane price dues of farmers, Government has been extending assistance to sugar mills. Details of export of sugar in past five years is as under:
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Sugar Season
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Quantity exported
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2017-18
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6.2
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2018-19
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38
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2019-20
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59.6
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2020-21
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70
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2021-22
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26.5 
Till date, contracts of about 40 LMT have been signed for export of sugar in current sugar season 2021-22 and that too without announcement of any export subsidy. It is also estimated that in sugar season 2021-22, about 50-60 LMT of sugar is likely to be exported by domestic sugar mills.
Further, to facilitate export of surplus sugar from country, custom duty on export of sugar has been withdrawn by the Central Government w.e.f. 20.03.2018
Due to surplus production of sugar in the country since sugar season 2017-18, the Central Government has imposed 100% custom duty on import of sugar under OGL to prevent import of sugar and thereby to safeguard the interest of sugar cane farmers.
However, import of raw sugar is valid under Advance Authorisation Scheme  under which raw sugar is imported in the country and re-exported after refining it. Such quantity of sugar which is imported under AAS cannot be sold in domestic market and can be re-exported only. Details of sugar imported in last five years given below as:-
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Financial Year
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Quantity of Sugar imported in lakh Metric Tonne 
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2017-18
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23.91
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2018-19
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14.98
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2019-20
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11.15
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2020-21
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19.63
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2021-22|
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2.8
PIB Headquarters
PIB’S BULLETIN ON COVID-19
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|
- 190.83 cr vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
- India's Active caseload currently stands at 19,067
- Active cases stand at 0.04%
- Recovery Rate currently at 98.74%
- 3,230 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to
- 4,25,70,165
- 2,827 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours
- Daily positivity rate 
- Weekly Positivity Rate 
- 84.24 cr Total Tests conducted so far; 4,71,276 tests conducted in the last 24 hours
#Unite2FightCorona #IndiaFightsCorona
Press Information Bureau
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Government of India
Ministry of Defence
Women’s Day 2022 celebrations by Southern Command AWWA
With the aim of acknowledging selfless devotion and contribution of women towards society, International Women’s Day 2022 was celebrated by Southern Command AWWA on 05 and 06 March 2022. The day was commemorated as a mark of recognition to women’s achievement and equality. Southern Command AWWA, in an endeavour to support women artists and entrepreneurs organised an exhibition cum sale of handicrafts and paintings at SGS Mall, Pune. The occasion was graced by Mrs Anita Nain, Regional President, Southern Command AWWA.
A large number of women artists and entrepreneurs exhibited their products. The exhibition provided an appropriate platform for women towards self- reliance and potentiality. Regional President, Southern Command AWWA congratulated women on the occasion and reiterated Southern Command AWWA’s commitment towards women empowerment and gender equality. Women from all across Pune city participated actively and enthusiastic crowd at mall made the event a grand success.
Ministry of Defence
International Workshop on Physics of Semiconductor Devices: IWPSD 2017
Solid State Physics Laboratory , a premier semiconductor research laboratory of DRDO is organising the 19th International Workshop on Physics of Semiconductor Devices  jointly with Indian Institute of Technology , Delhi in association with Society for Semiconductor Devices, Semiconductor Society  and Society for Information Display. Chairman ISRO and Secretary Department of Space Dr. AS Kiran Kumar will formally inaugurate the event on 12 December 2017 at IIT Delhi in presence of Chairman DRDO & Secretary Department of Defence R&D Dr. S Christopher.
The biennial event IWPSD is considered as a prominent international forum on Advanced Semiconductor Technologies. The event held in India provides an opportunity for Indian researchers to interact with internationally acclaimed experts. Scientists and academicians from international and national educational institutes, government laboratories and leading industries interact to discuss state-of-the-art in advanced semiconductor R&D. The workshop has always received wide international participation and serves as the principal forum for dissemination of semiconductor research in South Asian region.
Semiconductor devices are used in the technological aids related to defence and space applications in addition to day-to-day consumer electronics.
The four day workshop has a strong technical program covering most of the emerging semiconductor R&D fields with five parallel sessions which will cover topics of current interest including VLSI technologies, Sensors, GaN  Materials and Devices, Opto-electronics, Crystal Growth & Epitaxy, Photovoltaics, Display Technologies, 2D materials & Organic Semiconductors and Semiconductors for Quantum Computing etc. Special emphasis will be given on the role of semiconductor technologies in space, defence and civilian applications.
Many renowned scientists and technologists from USA, Europe, Asia Pacific and other countries are participating in this event. Over 130 internationally acclaimed plenary/invited speakers will deliver talks on research in their field of expertise. In addition about 500 researchers from national Institutes like TIFR, NPL, IISc, IITs, NITs, CEERI etc. and other prominent Central and State universities would be participating in the workshop and over 500 research papers will be presented.
A number of prominent Industries in the area of semiconductor R&D are showcasing their products on the occasion. A special industry session is also being organized to promote Make in India theme. The workshop would also provide a platform for exploring possibility of establishing semiconductor manufacturing in India by Indian and foreign ventures.
Special Service and Features
Centre alone implements over 157 schemes for children, women, students, old people, fishermen and farmers
Journalists should be well aware of the government's schemes to help the poor in the society
Press Information Bureau Chennai, organized “Rural media conference in Thoothukudi today. Dr. K.Senthilraj IAS Thoothukudi District Collector, Mr. M. Annadurai Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Regional Additional Director, PIB, Mr. L. Balaji Saravanan, DSP, Mr. Nadeem Thufail, Joint Director PIB, Chennai and other district officials are participated in the event.
Inaugurating the media discussion program, Dr. K. Senthilraj said that journalists should be well aware of the government's schemes to help the poor in the society. He further pointed out that journalists have been very helpful during the times of natural calamity, election etc. He further appealed to the media to convey information about the benefits of government schemes to the people who need them. He also visited the exhibition on the Central Government's welfare schemes.
Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Regional Additional Director, PIB Mr. M. Annadurai said that highlighted the objective of the conference is to utilize the journalists in every district to create public awareness on the government schemes. He said that the press information office communicates information in all forms of media including social media to the people. He further adds that the central government alone is implementing about 157 schemes for children, women, students, old people, fishermen and farmers.
The media conference further witnessed the presence of other district officials who briefed the media about the central government projects being carried out through the departments.
Ministry of Electronics & IT
MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar will be in Bengaluru on two-day official visit from tomorrow
Expected to make some important announcements on Skilling and Innovation ecosystem
To interact with legal minds on Navigating Challenges in India’s evolving digital economy and with Young Indians at Yuva Samvaada
Union Minister of State for Electronics & IT and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar will be leaving for Bengaluru on a two-day official visit that begins from tomorrow.
During the visit, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar is expected to make some important announcements with regard to the Skilling and innovation ecosystem and hold several meetings with stakeholders from these domains.
The Minister will also be delivering the keynote address at an event hosted by the law firm, JSA at an event to commemorate the completion of 30 years of its service. The Minister will be speaking about how businesses can navigate the regulatory challenges in India’s digital economy in the presence of representatives from the IT/ITES Sector and the startup and innovation ecosystem.
On Friday, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar will be travelling to Mysuru where he will be interacting with young Indians at the Yuva Samvaada program series.
He will be returning to New Delhi on the 24th March, 2023.
Ministry of Coal
BCCL, Ministry of Coal Organizes Programme to Spread Awareness on Sanitation as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav Celebrations
Under the nation wide celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav , Bharat Coking Coal Ltd., a Miniratna Company under the Ministry of Coal has organized a special programme to spread awareness about sanitation and COVID-19 related precautionary measures. As part of the ongoing drive, the CSR Department of BCCL distributed 125 packets of hand sanitisers and face masks to the residents of Algoria Basti, a predominantly SC/ ST/ OBC village in PootkiBalihari  Area of Dhanbad, Jharkhand.
BCCL also distributed hand sanitisers and face masks to students and their guardians of Pehala Kadam School, Jagjiwan Nagar, a dedicated learning center for divyang children. The organizers of the function enlightened the students on the need to keep up the habit of hand washing and wearing face masks. In line with AKAM celebrations, the students presented various cultural performances.
MV/SS/RKP/
(Visitor Counter : 998
Ministry of Jal Shakti
Concession Agreement Signed for Development of STP in Bhagalpur, Bihar under NMCG
Project Worth Rs. 385.09 Crore Aims to Eliminate Flow of Untreated Sewage from Bhagalpur City into River Ganga
The tripartite Concession Agreement was signed today between National Mission for Clean Ganga , Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd  and M/s. Adani Enterprises Limited in JV with Organica Technológiák Zrt., Hungary, for development of Sewage Treatment Plants  for Bhagalpur on Hybrid Annuity PPP mode. The contract was awarded at the total cost of INR 385.09 Crores. Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General, NMCG and Shri Ashok Kumar Singh, ED , NMCG were present on the occasion and representatives from BUIDCO and the concessionaire were also present. The agreement was signed by Shri. Vinod Kumar, Director , NMCG, Mr. Amlendu Kumar Ranjan, Executive Engineer, BUIDCO and Mr. Akchhyakumar Singh, Authorised Signatory, concessionaire.
The project aims to eliminate flow of untreated sewage from Bhagalpur city into the River Ganga thereby reducing pollution load in the river. NMCG approved the project for construction of Sewage Treatment Plants  of total capacity of 45 MLD, among other works such as developing Interception & Diversion  structures, I&D network laying, Sewage Pumping Stations including Operation and Maintenance for 15 years etc. This project also aims to take care of the existing sewerage problems in the town and the resultant sewage pollution in the river Ganga.
Bhagalpur is a municipal corporation town situated on the plains of the Ganga River basin at the height of 141 feet above sea level in Bihar, India and is the second largest city after Patna in Bihar. Apart from Patna, under the Namami Gange programme, important towns in the Bhagalpur district namely, Bhagalpur, Sultanganj, Kahalgaon and Naugachia have also got STP projects. The river stretch of river Ganga from Sultanganj to Kahalgaon falls under Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary with a total length of 60 km. The pollution abatement of river Ganga in this stretch is therefore very significant in order to maintain the habitat of the Gangetic Dolphin and other aquatic animals. This will ensure to maintain of the rich biodiversity of the region. This project will abate the pollution generated from the city with significant and stringent performance standard to ensure the habitat of the Gangetic Dolphin is no longer polluted.
Ministry of Finance
DRI seizes Container full of foreign cigarettes at Mundra port in Operation Cigar
Based on specific intelligence developed, officers of DRI Ahmedabad intercepted an import consignment at Mundra port. The consignment was declared as "Auto Air Freshener" and was shipped from Jebel Ali port.
During the detailed examination of the said consignment, officers noticed that the 1st row packages in the container were of declared goods i.e. "Auto Air Freshener". However, behind the said 1st row, all the packages were containing foreign origin Cigarettes "Gold Flakes". Majority of these foreign origin cigarettes were bearing the markings "Made in Turkey". Accordingly total 32.5 lakhs of these sticks were seized under Panchanama proceedings. The value of the seized cigarettes is estimated to be around Rs. 6.5 crores.
It was also observed that some of the cigarette's packets were having marking of “Made in India”. Officers in contact with field experts to identify possibility of attempt to import counterfeit cigarettes or likewise.
The seizure is a major success for the DRI and will have a significant impact on the smuggling of foreign cigarettes in India.
Further investigation is under progress.
CB/GP/JD
(Visitor Counter : 831